A Harsh War
by thesingingbluebell
Summary: Severus Snape hasn't had an easy life. The Second Wizarding War is no easier, and life is even harder when Snape has to rescue Harry from the clutches of Voldemort whilst retaining his position as a spy. Set during/after OOTP. Canon, everyone in character. Some nice hurt/comfort. WIP
1. No Respite for a Spy

_so this is it. my first Snape fic. Let's go!_

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The air outside Spinner's End was frigid and the thunderclouds looked darker by the minute. The entire neighbourhood had the feeling of neglect, and the sharp _crack_ of apparition was the only sound to be heard for miles, aside from the howling wind.

A shaking figure, bundled in black robes and dripping dark crimson onto the doorstep, gingerly entered through one of the grey doors and shut it loudly behind him.

Finally inside, Severus Snape all but collapsed onto a nearby chair, dust billowing up as he did so. He hadn't returned to the house in a long while, and he had only done so tonight as he had no less than a scrap of energy left, and would likely have collapsed before he made it to Hogwarts.

That night's Death Eater meeting had been one of the worst since Voldemort's return a few months earlier. The Dark Lord had been in a foul mood, and Snape, unable to provide adequate information on the Orders' latest doings; Dumbledore had strictly enforced to him that none of the Order's recent doings could be relayed back to Voldemort; had borne the brunt of his anger.

With a _crack,_ a house elf appeared. Snape looked surprised to see her.

 _"_ Winky, you have no right to be here. Go back to Hogwarts. I am perfectly alright," Snape admonished, the slight shake of his voice and the twitching of his hands giving him away.

The small house elf peered up at him. "Winky was feeling Master Snape's distress, sir. Winky came to see if Master Snape required any assistance!"

Snape sighed. "Well, if you must be so persistent, tell Albus I will arrive at Hogwarts later this evening."

Winky's eyes lit up. "Of course, sir, of course. Would you require anything else, sir?" Winky enquired hopefully.

Snape's only response was a long-suffering glare at the house elf, who disapparated hurriedly with a sharp _crack_.

With that, Snape slowly rose from the armchair with a groan. Glaring daggers at the large bloodstain left behind, he tenderly pulled out his wand and with a quick _Scourgify_ rid the dusty old armchair of both its dust and the stain. Moving slowly to his potions lab, Snape ignored the way his hands twitched - another side effect of prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus curse. Upon reaching the cupboard where he stored an abundance of potions, Snape retrieved a vial of pain reliever, blood replenishing potion, a muscle relaxer potion; and although hesitantly, a healing potion. The healing potions rarely were of much use to him recently; its effectiveness had ceased as a result of taking it too often.

Downing each potion in quick succession; Snape then relieved himself of the heavy Death Eater robes and slowly set about healing the slashes that marred his back and side. The bleeding had slowed considerably and the wounds; although fairly deep, weren't life-threatening and the Blood-Replenishing potion he'd taken earlier had already begun to take effect.

Right now, all Snape wanted was a long, hot shower. It had been a long while since he had this much free time and he wanted to make good use of it.

As it happened, Albus Dumbledore stepped out of his fireplace that very instant, having just Flooed over. With a flick of his wand and a long-suffering sigh, Snape was dressed in black sweatpants and shirt, his casual attire. Casting a quick Glamour charm which hid most of the bruises and wounds which could not be hidden by his clothing, he then stepped into the living room where Albus was waiting.

The Headmaster looked him up and down, peering closely at him, then frowning as if he saw through the Glamour. But the warning glint in Snape's eyes, daring him to say something, kept Dumbledore's mouth shut.

"Well, Albus? Did you not receive Winky's message? I clearly stated I would meet you later this evening," snapped a very irritable Snape, extremely annoyed at having been diverted from his hot shower.

What the Headmaster said next, however, Snape did not expect in the least.

"Severus! I'm so glad you're here. The whole wizarding world is in a frenzy- Harry Potter has disappeared!"

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 ** _((and, a little snippet of the next chapter))_**

 _"Disappeared? That arrogant, unbearable, good-for-nothing child? How very convenient," sneered Snape, disdain written across his face._

 _"Severus, this is a matter of high importance. You must put aside your differences with him, for we have reason to suspect the Death Eaters are responsible for this," Dumbledore responded calmly, his face imploring Severus to understand._

 _"Oh wonderful. Am I now supposed to go out and save The Boy-Who-Lived from the very clutches of Voldemort?" Snape's voice hissed, laced with sarcasm._

 _But Dumbledore was very, very serious. "Yes, my boy. That is exactly what you will do."_

* * *

 **Huzzah, hello all!**

So this is my first HP story, and also my first Snape fic. I hope you like it.

If you did, please feel free to favourite it so I know if I'm doing OK on my first attempt.

Also, please don't forget to **review** as i would love some feedback. Constructive criticism is very welcome. :)

-one more thing: this will be a mentoring fic - there shouldn't be much slash at all :)

I'll see you later. I hope to get a new chapter out soon!


	2. Plans in Motion

I'm back everyone! hehe. Let's get into Chapter 2 :)

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"Disappeared? _That arrogant, unbearable, good-for-nothing child? How very convenient," sneered Snape, disdain written across his face._

 _"Severus, this is a matter of high importance. You must put aside your differences with him, for we have reason to suspect the Death Eaters are responsible for this," Dumbledore responded calmly, his face imploring Severus to understand._

 _"Oh wonderful. Am I now supposed to go out and save The Boy-Who-Lived from the very clutches of Voldemort?" Snape's voice hissed, laced with sarcasm._

 _But Dumbledore was very, very serious. "Yes, my boy. That is exactly what you will do."_

"What?" Snape spluttered, his self-control slipping dangerously. "Are you suggesting that I compromise my life and my position in the Dark Lord's Inner Circle _to rescue a half-baked boy who can't stay still for a second?_ " A dangerous glint appeared in Snape's eyes as he spat out the last words.

Dumbledore's voice lost some of the warmth as he replied tonelessly, "Yes, Severus. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but you are really the only one in a position to rescue Harry."

"Right. I'll go rescue your precious _Gryffindor._ Consequences be damned, let's cast aside everything we have worked for this past decade to save the _Boy-Who-Lived._ " Snape's voice was bitter and cold.

Seeing he was in a dangerous position, Dumbledore warmed his voice and softened his features as he replied, "Thank you Severus. Truly. The Order of the Phoenix and Harry are extremely grateful to you."

"I don't want their _pity_ or gratitude or ridiculous friendship. I''m not doing it for them. I'm doing it so you can get off my back and I can resume my potion brewing. I know the _esteemed Order_ doesn't care for my wellbeing. They'll just be grateful to have their _saviour_ back." With that, the Potions Master turned on his heel and reached the door in few, purposeful strides. Right now, the only thing on his mind was a long, hot bath.

"I care for you, Severus," offered Dumbledore, lacing each syllable with sincerity.

Snape paused before he opened the door, eyes glinting. "Oh, I'm sure you do, Dumbledore. But I won't compete with your concern for the Potter Boy or any of your other precious Gryffindors. You care for me Dumbledore, because I am useful to you, and that is all."

The door clicking shut was all that followed.

Dumbledore sighed sadly. It was hardly true. Yes, he admitted; at first, his care for Severus was due to his usefulness, but over time he had come to appreciate the Slytherin's sly sense of humour, his skills and ultimately, his unwavering loyalty. Turning slowly, Dumbledore thrust a handful of green Floo powder into the fireplace and left for Hogwarts.

Easing himself into the bath, Snape removed the Glamour charms with a flick of his wand. As he felt the pains of the day slowly leeching off his skin, he gave a contented sigh. After a few minutes, he slowly opened his eyes, only to frown disapprovingly as he realised he had promised to be at Hogwarts in less than an hour. What had been a promising few hours to himself had been rudely interrupted by Dumbledore's arrival.

 _Always about the Potter boy. Always risking my life for him. He's no better than his good-for-nothing father._ Feeling white-hot anger bubbling up inside him, Snape calmed himself by forcing those thoughts into a corner of his mind, and thought of Lily. By the time he had calmed down, he quickly dressed into his heavy black robes and apparated outside Hogwarts.

Crossing the anti-apparition wards, Snape walked briskly up to the gates, ignoring the way the newly-healed cuts on his back twinged uncomfortably.

Traversing the many halls in Hogwarts, Snape caught a glimpse of himself in one of the glass window-panes. Looking around; despite the fact it was the Christmas holidays and the hallways were completely deserted, save for an occasional pigeon, Snape cast another quick Glamour charm to hide the dark circles around the eyes and some remaining bruises, which were fading rapidly thanks to a potion he had invented.

He was walking down the corridor which led to the entrance of the Headmaster' office, when he felt a familiar burning sensation on his left forearm. Cursing under his breath, Snape sent his patronus to Albus with the message he had been summoned.

 _Twice in one night?_ Snape mused. _It would seem he has captured the Potter boy after all._

Transfiguring his robes into Death-Eater attire, the spy composed himself and touched his wand to the burning Mark, then felt the lurch of apparition as he was taken to the meeting-area, steeling himself for what was to come.

 _((and a little snippet of next chapter, to keep you all on your toes!))_

 _The first thing Snape was aware of when he landed on solid ground was that only the Inner Circle had been summoned._

Interesting, _he mused, as he stepped forward and kneeled down to kiss the hem of the Dark Lord's robes._

 _"My Lord," he murmured reverently, then with great care and precision, slowly made his way back into the circle, feeling every members' eyes boring into the back of his head._

 _Voldemort seemed to be in a good mood. Instead of doling out his usual doses of_ Crucios _to those with inadequate information or results_ , _he began his speech almost immediately. The words he uttered next were to Severus' immediate horror and dismay, and to the Death Eaters' utmost delight._

 _"My faithful followers! I give you, the_ ** _Boy-Who-Lived,_** Harry Potter!"

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 **Hey everyone! So maybe that wasn't the best cliff-hanger ever, seeing as you knew Harry had been captured already, but I thought it made for a nice dramatic exit. Besides, it was just giving you all confirmation that Harry had actually been captured and wasn't just wandering off, destroying Horcruxes or something.**

 **Next chapter there should be plenty more action. This chapter was just developing Snape's relationship with Dumbledore, with a little bit of angst.**

Also, **I wrote this entire chapter whilst listening to very loud music *cringes*. So if there's any idiotic mistakes I missed in my quick edit, I apologise!**

Once again, reviews are much appreciated. :)

 **See you soon for the next chapter.**


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